Car coupler



Nov. 1, 1927. lgfeamss" l Y A ANLKER ET AL. I

CAR COUPLER Original Filed June 6, 1525 5 Sheets-Sheet l ATTO NEY A N0v. 1,1927. 1,647,498 y Y F. AN-LIKER ET AL.

CAR COUPLER Original Filed June 6. 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTOFgLL" Naf/.1,1927` 1,647,498

, F. ANLIKER ET AL y CAR coUPLER n original Fi1e 1 June'e. 1925 5 sheets-sheet 3 ATTORNE;

Patented Nov. 1i, 1927. i

PATENT-Q rnrnINitNiD aNLIIzEItl er4 SHARON, PENNSYLVANIA, AND nUssELnJ.' wrrriwrar., orv Y .CLEVELAND Irnrenfrs, OHIO, AssIGNoIts To NATIONAL MALLEAFBLE AND srnnt. y CASTINGS COMPANY, or CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OIIIO.

OAR gcournnn.

Application sled :rune-e, 1925,' serial No. 35,346., Renewed Auguse25, 19,27.

Q Fig, 1 is a-plampartly in section, of a pair, of interlocked couplers embodying our inventionwith thepartsin locked position; Fig. 2 is anelevation, partly in section, with the partsias shownwin Fig. 1,v but .withthe head of thebolt removed; Fig. 3 is a plan, partly in section, `'but withthe lock in lockset position;'F ig. 4 is an elevation, partly in section, with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is an elevation, part-V ly in section', showing the position of the parts just after the lock ha'sbeen released from vlock-'set 'position and lock.V and lever are free to drop to normal 'or lowermost positions; Figs. 6 and 7 show ,the operating lever lin plan and side elevation, respectively; Fig.

8 is a-.side elevation of the lock; and Fig. 9 shows'in elevation a modified vform of lever. Our invention relates to car couplers of the` vertical plane type,r-such` as 'are Vshown inv Letters 'Patent of John 'Villison No.

- 1,201,665, dateaoctober 17, 1916, in whieh v thefcoupler comprises a coupler head, a lock, and a suitable actuating mechanismfor the lock. VThe presenty invention comprises an improved means of retracting and lock-set 'tin'gthelo'cln of releasing the. lock from lockset, and in so, formi-ng the loc-k, the lock operating mechanism and the cooperatingparts y Iof the coupler headtha't themovemen-ts of jtheflock into and out of lock-set position are extremely reliable and'when in `lockset position remain in"`such` position until intentionally dislodged therefrom. Our 1nventio'n also 'comprises the various features 'which we shall hereinafter describe; and

" *Referring to thedrawings, the `coupler 1sl "comprised of Vafcou'pler head 2 -having al hurting aw `3, and a pulling'jaw 4, connected clined laterally to the line. of draft. The

Apulling jaw has-a'laterallytl extending recess fft to receivethev complementary-3 of the opposing coupler `head,'and its 'pulhngwface "T engages a complementary face 8 onY the buiing` jaw 3 of the opposing'` coupler head.

T'Ilhe 'lock 9 of thecoupler operates in a walls- 12 and13, andinay have'ion the side toward .the wall 13 a'lateral, projection 1114 which cooperates wthan elongatedrecessl 13a` in the wall 13. yThis projection and re` -c'ess engagement between lockpand wall 13 Y l serves as anauXlllary guide for the lock in I its Vmovement and also may act as a limiting stop. The top face 15 ofthe lock i-s-'i'nclined and @muet*Oifhtoaonface andinia downward projection'l from the.. top ofthe coupler head cooperates with the face 1`5l`to p revent the lock-from lbeingdisplaced vertically. The ylock has an. 'elongated recess 17 on its underside throughiwhich .the trans-V u;

versebolt eXtends,the forward end of the f recess acting'r as a stoppto preventthe lock f.;

from-being retractedtoo far into the coupler head and the rear end of the recess 17 acting as a stop to preventthe lock from vbeing i Vprojected too faront-ofthe coupler head.

vMounted on the transverse`bolt 18 'is any operating leverk 19 which is comprised Vof two arms 2O -and-20a joinedA at their'rear ends by the web `21V, both of which 'are apela; tured for the bolt 18.V The lock 1011 v'the side toward the buffing jaw3hasa recessedpor-y tion or cavity 22 into which the arm 20of thelever119 extends. 4The lforward end vof the arm 20. terminatesin a hook 23, whichVr engages a projection 24cin the upper portion i l ofthe cavity gin theloclr.`l The arm 20 also i* has a cam face 25, vwhich engagesA a1 cam initial retraction of'theflocln ;while the en-k gagement of the hook 23 againstthe projection 24 yc au'ses'its further retraction. This cam action pro'videsa-powerful means'for retracting' the-"lock sothat it is ipossibleto `unlock the couplers `while u'ndentension.

- by a butling face 5"arranged on anv axis in- .ally extending shoulder-127,5whiclrwhen the The actuating lever 19cl1as alsoa laterlever 19 is in non-'actuatingposition-lies to the rear ofl the rear face ofthte'loclr andv preventsthef lock fromr beingfd'riven,rear-v y' wardly-for instance, under-gimpact cou,-

Vdiameter to i accommodate the" circular shoulderof the bolt head 29 upon which the,y arm 2Oa rotates. L Nearthe extremity. of thezarm 85 surface26 to the rear of the projection 24.v yand vupon actuation of thearin 2O lcauses the 2Oa is an opening 30 for an actuating member or uncouplingrod 31.

In assembling theparts 'the lock 9 is first placed. in position in t-he'locl; cavity, the

lever 19 is next put in position, and then the bolt 18 is slid through the apertures in the` coupler head and lever 19, through the recess 17 in the lock, and, inally, the nut 18ar is applied. The look thus can not -be reFV moved without first removing the bolt 18.

To relieve the 'lever 19 and' bolt 18 'from` blows from theloclr during impact coupling a stop lug 33 is provided on the inner tace V of ythe wall V13, which is engaged ,bythe shoulder 27 on the lever 19,'and the blows f which are received by the shoulder 27 from the lock are thus transmitted to the coupler head.

vprojection 24, which causes the `lock to be i moved into its ull'retracted position preparatory to loclnsetting.

' When it is" desired to place the lock 9 in lock-set position, a urther'rotation of the operating lever 2O causes theV hook 23 to enter the cavity above .thel projection 24e. Then, when the operating rod 31 is released,

the lever 19":is held 'from falling back into V set position.

normal position by the engagement of the inner face oi the hook 23aga-iiist the inclined upper face 24a of the proj ect-ion 24, which is struck at an angle s o as to form a: hooking engagement with 'the inner surface of the hook 23. lit will thus beseen, as is shown vin Fig. il, that after thevloclr'has been elevated to uncoupled. position, as the 4loch attempts to slide down by gravity to lower-V most position, the'taceL-Qda of the projection 224i wedges against the inner tace of the hook and thus holds the lookin elevatedv or loclr The' opposing coupler is then free to draw away. As thecouplers draw apart the loch oit the opposing coupler will engage the bevelled forward tace 32 of the lock which is on lock-:set and squeezeor inoveV it slightly to the real, thusraising the surface 24' out of wedging engagement with the inner iiace of the hook, and the arm 20 of the lever, because of its over-balanced weight, `will rotate downwardly and forwardlyv out 'of the way of the lock projection 24 and the lock is then tree to drop into lowermostposition, as is shown in Fig. 2. Sometimes, however, as the.V couplers draw Vapart there is a tendency to force the lock which is in locked positicnto the rear. To prevent `this there is a small projection 1W" inthe recess 17 on the lock, in such position that it bears against the bolt 18 when the loclris in locked position, which suciently `retards therearward movement ofthe lock when urged rearwardly, and by its resistance to rearward movement, causes the opposinglock von loch-set to be raised and thus released from-loclr-set position.M

lWhen opposing couplers come together, if one of the couplers happens to be on lockset, the opposing AVlock strikes the lock on lock-set,-and drives it slightly to the rear,

thus releasing the interlock between the projection 2&1 onthe lock and hook^23 on the lever arm 20, which permits the arm 2O to rotate downwardly out oit the way and leaves the lock'free-'to drop into lowermost or locked position. Y

Couplers constructed in accordance.` with our invention are extremely eective in cou` pling operations, because of the provisions :for preventing the lock from being thrown into lock-set position'or'trom being jammed into the rear of the coupler' cavity. Even l when Vcouplings are made at comparatively high speed we haveltound thatthe protection against prematurev lock-setting is extremely satisfactory and that the application of our invention has greatly improved the coupler.k l1

lVe have valso found that interlocking eiigagement between the operating mechanism and the lock makes the lock-setting operation accurate and one which we. have fund to be very reliable in operation.

In Fig. 9 we have shown a modified form of lock operating lever which hasY an arcshaped surface .34 immediately tothe rear of the eye 3W, which supports Ythe actuating member 31', and considerably increases the' leverage exerted by the memberv 31 in re tra-sting the lock.y Y .j

The terms and expressions lwhichwe have employed are used .asv terms ofdescription and 'not or limitation, andwe have no intenlip tion,.in the use of such terms and eXpressions, of excluding any mechanical equivalents otthe features shown and described` or` portions thereof, but'V recognize that various* structural modifications are possible within i the scope of the invention claimed. n `l/Vhat we claim is: Y

1. A car coupler comprising two rigid, lat- 1erally separated oppositely disposed jaws having a longitudinally extending cavitv therebetween; a lock movable in the cavity to assume a projected locking position,-a retracted unlocking position and a lock-set position; a lock actuating member; and cooperating means on the said member and lock for supporting the lock in lock-set position.

2. A ear coupler comprising two rigid,

v laterally separated oppositely disposed jaws having a longitudinally extending cavity therebetween; a lock movable in the cavity to assume a projected locking position, a re-V tracted unlocking position and a. lock-set position; a lock actuating member; and cooperating means on the said member and lock for supporting the lock in lock-set po- Y sition, the said member being arranged to move the lock into the lretracted unlocking position and into lock-set position. j

3. A car coupler comprising two rigid,

laterally separated oppositely disposed jawsY having a longitudinally :extending cavity therebetween; a lock movable longitudinally in said cav-ity; lock-actuating means; anda projection and recess engagement between ythe lock and said means for supportingthe lock in lock-set position. e,

4. A. car coupler comprising ltwo. rigid,

laterally separated oppositely disposed jaws path of the lock to prevent the lock fro-m being driven out of operative position except under actuation from said member, said-V :1 member and said lock having cooperative sure faces for supporting the lock in lockeset po-y sition.

laterally separated o-ppositely disposedjaws having a longitudinally extending cavity therebetween; a lock movable in the cavity longitudinally of the 1 coupler tok assume a projected locking position and a retracted.

unlocking position; a lock actuating ineinber having a portion thereof arranged in the path of the lock to prevent the lock from being driven out of operative position except under actuation from said member, said member and Vsaid lock having cooperative surfaces for supporting the lock in lock-set position, said lock being incapable of assuming lock-set position except onactuation by said actuating member.

6. A car coupler comprising-two rigid laterally separated oppositely disposed awshaving a longitudinallyv extending cavity therebetween; a lock movable in the cavity to asf: sume a projected locking position and a lock-set position, saidlock when in its pro? jected locking position arrangedto have an overlapping engagement with the vlock of an opposing coupler; and a` lock actuating member; the lock actuating member land-the lock having cooperating cam-shaped surfaces which retract the lock to lock-set position.

7. A car coupler comprising two rigid,

lateral'ly separated oppositely disposed-jaws` having a longitudinally' extending cavity therebetween a lock movable in thel cavity yto yassume a projected locking position, a. re- `tracted unlocking` position andalock-set po sition; and al lock actuating member; lthe lock actuating member and the lock having sets of cooperating. cain-shaped surfaces by which the lock is actuated, one set of which supports the lock in 'lock-set position.

8. A carV coupler comprisiiig'- two rigid,

retracted unlocking position and a 'lock-seti lock actuating member and the lock having sets of cooperating cainshaped surfaces by which the'lockis successively actuated, onel 5. A car coupler comprising two rigid,

vlaterally separated oppositely disposed rjaws having a longitudinally extending cavitv therebetween; a lock inovablein tlie cavity I to assume a projected locking position, aY n position; and a. lock actuating member; the l set of which, supports the lock in-lock-set po-A 9. A-'car coupler comprising two rigid,

laterally separated oppositely disposedljawsVv having a longitudinally extending cavity therebetween; a lockmovablein the cavity:` i

to assume a projected locking position,ia re' I throughbolt upon which the lockrides; 'the lock also having means cooperating with the` bolt forpreventing the lock'froin moving into lock-set position as the lock draws aw ay'- from a lockeof an opposing coupler.

RUSSELL J. WiTTMER.

Y FERDINAND ANLIKER. Y 

